Diaphragm valve



May 1924-.

J. TWARDOWSKY DIAPHRAGM. VALVE Filed June 1l. 1923 M f f 0 Patented May 20, y1924;.

UNITED STATES `.ilar oi-Fica JOHN TWARDOWSKY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'I Ol v UNIVERSE CORPORATION, 0=F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. i

DIAIHRAGM VALVE.

Appiication iiied'zun 11, 192s. serial no. 644,817.

jfTo all whom z't may concern.: -A

"Be itknown that I, JOHN TWARDoWsKY, citizen of Russia, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook 'and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefull Improvements in a Diaphragm Valve; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the. art to which it appertain-s to make and use the same. j

My invention relates to the general class of valves in which the extent of opening of the valve is automatically cont olled in response to the pressure in one of he two duct `portions between which the valve is interposed, and particularly to a valve of this class in which the control is effected by the expansion of a casing subject to the said lpressure. For such general purposes, my invention aims to provide an unusually simple and easily manufactured construction, which can'readily be manufactured of materials not apt to be corroded by the luid in connection with which the valve is employed, which can readily be constructed for any desired degree of sensitiveness by merely varying the proportions of certain parts, which will not be subject to a sticking of the movable part or parts, and which vcan readily be adjusted with a high degree of accuracy as to the pressure at which the valve will operate. Y

Moreover, my invention aims to provide a pressure-controlled valve in which one portion of a casing subject to the controlling pressure acts as a diaphragm and directly controls the movement of a valve member. It also aims to provide a highly desirable valve construction forv this general purpose iii which the actuating parts are entirely inclosed, in which the parts can readily be assembled'in' such a'man'ner as to afford a tight sealing lfor the portions throu h which the' fluid passes, land in whicht e adjusting means are carried bya casingrwhich also is arranged for, limiting the lexingjof certain of the parts so as to avoid an overstrainiiig of these parts. Furthermore, my invention aims toprovide a valve of this class in which the'adjustin meansv also serve for holding such a com ined guard and casing in its proper operative position.

,3-3 of Fig. 2.

More particularly, my invention provides a valve arrangement in which one wall of an expansible casing acts as a diaphragm directly engaging the stem of the movable valve member, in which this stem projects into the interior of the casing so as to engage theinner face of the casin wall which has such a diaphra m action; in which the said diaphragm wal and the movable valve .y I

member are continuously urged in opposite directions by two springs, one'of which engages the outer face of the said diaphragm portions; and in which one of the springs can be readily and delicately adjusted as to its eii'ective pressure.- Still further and also more detailed objects will a pear from the followingspeciication and rom the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of an expansion valveembodying my' invention.

. Fig. 2 is a central and longitudinal section through the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlar ed transverse section i through the valve bo y, taken along the line y Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the movable valve member.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to a portion of Fig. 2, but showing-the diaphragm as expanded to an unusual degree, or to an extent beyondl that needed for closingL the valve.

Fig. 6 is an enlargement of portions of Fig. 2, showing the method of securing the expansible casing or dia hragm member to the valve body and also s owing the method of securing the two parts of this member to each other. j j

In one of its important commercial applications, the valve of my invention is pari ticularly suited for use as the expansion valve o f a mechanical refrigerator and I am therefore illustrating and describing itin such a connection, although I do not wish to be limited as to any particular use of the' upper bore portion 3 by a tapering portion "stem 6 slidably housed by the said upper bore portion 3 and which projects beyond the top of the valve body. Below the head 5, the movable-valve member-has `an extension 7 affording a guide .for a spiral compression spring 8, which spring bears at its upper end against the head 5 and bears at its lower end against a plug 9 screwed into the lower end of the bore 2 of the valve body. The valve body also has threaded into it an inlet pipe 10 leading to the bore. portion below the valve head and an outlet pipe 11 connected rto the upper or smaller bore portion 3 labove the head 5. Thus arranged, it 'will .be obvious thatthe connection between the inlet pipe 10 and the outlet pipe 1'1 is controlled by the head 5 of the movahle valve ,-member, so that this head is'continuously urgedtowards its 'seat by the springB but may be unseated by any thrust tendin to move the said valve member downwariv.

SecuredA to the u per end of the valve body is an expansiblp phragm member which desirably consists of upper and lower disks12 and 13 spaced from each other by 'a relatively short distance,

these disks beingl provided respectively with relatively overlapping peripheral nges as shown in Fig. 4' and the Said lian bein soldered or otherwise tightl sealed to eac other. The lower disk 13 o the diaphra meinberhas an axial perforation which esirably is of such a size as to'slip snugly over an annular ring 14 formed inte al with the valve body `1 at the top of the atter. During the assemblin of the valve, this ring 14 is spun outwar ly over the adjacent upper face of the disk 13 as shown in dotted lines in 4 and in full lines in Fig. 2, so as to clinch the lower disk 13 against the top of the Valve member. The upper disk 12 is desirably imperforate and is continuously pressed downward by a. com pression spring 15 to which pressure may be applied through a pressure-distributin plug 16 by a screw 17 which extends coaxia with the said spring and with the movable valve member. This screw is here shownv as threaded into a cap 18 which is clinched to the top 19 of a twoart casing or guard which houses the diap ragm member. The bottom 20 of the same casing'is desirably secured to the upper portion 19 by bolts 21 .extending through peripheral ilanges on the said two casing portions. This bottom need not be secured to the valve body but may be left slidable with respect to the same, so as to be drawn upward against the bottom disk 13 of the dia hragm by the action of the spring 15 .w ich simultaneously presses downwardly against the top 12 of the diaevident that the spring 15 wi tend to compress the diaphragm and to cause e casing or hollow dia- -ineaeee phragm and bodily raises the guard or casing composed ofthe top and bottom portions 19 and 20 and the cap 18.

With the parts thus arran ed, it will be ll continuously the top 12 of the latter to move the valve member downwardly against the pressure of the relatively weakerspringS, so as to maintain a connection between the pipes 10 and 11. This connection is aforded alongside the stem of the valve member, when the latter yis moved oil' its seat, by passages formed by the cutting away of the sides of the stem 6 of the valve member asshown in Fig. 3, while a leakage of fluid along the plug is prevented by inserting a compressible washer 22 between the-head of the plug ,and lower end of the valve body 1.

With the parts thus arranged, the spring '8 not only urges the movable valve member continuously towards its closure position but also holds the valve stemt in engagement with the diaphragln top 12 as long as the valve is opened. owever, a pressure within the expansible diaphragm when greater than that required for permitting the valve to be closed ma flex the diaphragm top 12 upwardly out o contact with the valve stem without doing any harm. To prevent this exing from overstraining the, diaphragm, or in other words from exing it so greatly that its inherent resiliency w1ll not return it to its normal position when the excessive pressure is reduced, li-desirably make the guard casin of sti material and dispose its upper and llower portions `so close to the expansible diaphragm that both will be engaged by the diaphragm upon an undue expansion of the latter, as shown in Fig. 5. In doin so, li employ the general principle disclose in my copending application No. 657 ,268, filed Aug. 13, 1923, on a diaphragmactuated mechanism.

Tn employing the valve as abovedescribed as the expansion valve of a lmechanical refrigerator, I can readily adjust the pressure of the spring 15 through a manipulation of the screw 17 so that the valve will be opened to the desired extent when a quite low pressure exists in the expansion or refrigerating coil to which the outlet pipe 11 is connected. For example, l can readily cause my valve to a'ord t e desired opening for the flow of the'luid with a back pressure of (say) one pound in the outlet pipe .11, although the pressure in the inlet ipe 10 may be very much higher. Soalso, y em-, ploying a diaphragm casing of ample diameter, I/can secure such a sensitiveness as to cause the valve to close with a quite low rise in pressure in the outlet duct, as for example a rise of only a fraction of a pound. Owing to the sensitiveness thus secured, my invention is particularly suited for use inthe form of an expansion valve having the compressible diaphragm connected to the suction side of the refrigeratinsystem, 1n which the side pressureshould e low so as to facilitate the ra id expansion of the previously compressed uid. 4

Moreover, I can secure this sensitiveness (which is extraordinary as compared with valves of this class as heretofore in use) without introducing complications and without employing undesirably thin material. While the materials used may be greatly varied, I desirably construct the expansible diaphragm as well as the valvefbody 1 and the movable valve member 5 of a material which will not be corroded by the fluid employed in the refrigerating system. For example, ifthis fluid is sulphur dioxide, I can readily employ Monel metal for all of the parts which are exposed to the action o f the fluid.

To insure a proper sealing of the parts which house the fluid, at a low manufacturing cost, I desirably provide the top of the valve body l withan upwardly projecting ring v14 which extends throuo'h a bore of corresponding ydiameter in thelbottom 13 of 'the hollow diaphragm. rIhen I spin this ring downwardly over the said bottom as shown in Fig. 6 so-as to clinch this bottom to the top of the valve member, this being done before the top 12 is attached. However, while I have described this as well as other desirable features of a valve embodying my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the particular details of the construction and arrangement .here disclosed, as many modifications might obviousl be made without departing either from t e spirit of my inventlon or fromY the appended claims. So also, I do not wish to be limited to the use of all novel features of my invention in connection with each other, as certain of thev same might also be employed independently of others. Nor do I wish to be limited tol any par ticular use of my valve, although it is par.

ticularly Asuited for use as. the ex ansion valve of a refrigerating system, with the inlet pipe or port and the interior of the expansible casing continuously connected` to the suction side of the `compressor through.

the usual refrigerating coll. When thus connected the suction of the compressor continuously tends to lower the. .pressure within the hollow diaphragm or expansible casing and it is highly desirable that the valve should operate both with a quite low lpressure on this suction side (or in the expan` sion coil) and with a low dili'erenceinpressure between its inlet and outlet. By having the two springs a proximatel balanced and by em loying a ollow diaplira of relatively arge diameter, I can rea ily employ my valve under such conditions, as for exkept quite which occur in the ordinary manufacture of the same. l

I claim as my invention 1. A valve comprising a relatively flat and expansible casing having an imperforate wall opposite a perforation in another wall,

a valve body secured to the casing and equipped with an inlet and an outlet port, and a movable valve member slidable in the valve body and controlling the connection,

between the ports and normally extending through the said perforation and into engagement with the inner face of the 'said im- A perforate wall, an adjustment carrier arching around the casing, and adjustable means mounted within the carrier for urging the said imperforate wall of the casing toward thel movable valve member, the adjustment carrier being slidable on the valve body and being held against sliding on the valve body bythe engagement of the said adjustable means with the casing,l

2. A valve comprising a relatively flat and expansible casing hav1ng an imperforate wall opposite a perforation in another wall,

a valve body secured to,Ik the casing and equipped with an inlet and an outlet port, and a movable valve 'member slidable in the valve body and controlling the connection between the ports and normally extending through the said perforation and into engagement with the inner face of the said imperforate wall, an adjustment carrier arching around the casing, and adjustable means mounted within the carrier for urging the said imperforate wall of the casing toward the movable valve member, the adjustment carrier including 'a guard having one portion slidable on the valve body and another portion secured to the aforesaid portion and carrying the adjustable means, the entire carrier being movable bodily with respect to thecasing by the `action of the said adjustable means, the valve body having an annular extension entering the said perforation and turned-outwardly over the inner face of the casing wall which has the said perforatlon. -V

v3. A valve comprising a relatively flat and expansible casing hav1ng anv imperforate wall opposite a perforation in'another wall a valve lbody v secured to the casing and equipped with an inlet and an outlet port, and a movable valve member slidable in the valve body and controlling the connection betweenthe ports and normally extending through the said perforation vand into engagement wlth the inner face of the said im- `prforate wall, the valve body having `bore extending longitudinally thereof and a pair of lateral bores leading into the said bores and having a seat in the longitudinal bore intermediate of the lateral bores, an expansible member having a perforate Wall secured to'one end of the Said body, a movable valve member having a head adapted to engage the seat and having a stem normally extending through the perforation in the said Wall and into engagement With the opposite wall of the expansible member, spring means continuously urging the movable member towards a position in which its head engages the said seat, and means outside the expansible'member for urging the 'said opposite Wall against the said stem.`

5. A valve comprising a body having a bore extending longitudinally` thereof and a pair of lateral bores leading into the said bores and having a seat in the longitudinal bore intermediate of the lateral bores, an expansible member having a perforate Wall secured to one end of the said body, a movable valve member having ahead adapted to enremesa gage the seat and having a stem normally extending through the perforation in the said Wall and into engagement with the opposite Wall of the expansible member, spring means continuously urging the movable member towards a position in which its head engages the said seat, and adjustable spring means outside the expansiblemember for urging the said opposite Wall against the said stem.

6. A valve comprising a body having a bore extending longitudinally thereof and la. pair of lateral bores leading into the said bores and having a seat in the longitudinaly 1 bore intermediate of the lateral bores, an expansible member having a perforate Wall secured to one end of the said body, a movable valvemember having a head adapted to engage the seat and having a stem normally extending through the perforation in the said Wall and into engagement with the opposite Wall of the expansible member, and

a pair of springs one of which engages the said 'stem and the other of .which engages the outer face of the said opposite wall, the said springs normally cooperating in holding the said stem 1n engagement with the said opposite Wall.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, J une 1st, 1923.y

JOI-IN TWARDOWSKY.- 

